Chapter 73

"Three tons of bird droppings stone... If we calculate the average usage per acre at 30 kilograms, the actual cultivated area must be more than a hundred acres, much larger than I expected."

On the way back, Chu Guang pondered while writing in his small notebook.

"It seems my guess was correct; they must have applied some hydroponic techniques, and this part of the production capacity accounts for 15% to 30%... or even more."

Brown Farm produces some of its own manure and buys a bit from other merchants, so the actual cultivated area is likely even larger than he imagined.

Before he came to this world, Chu Guang had heard of a pipe-based hydroponic technique that could maximize the use of space and water resources. As long as the nutrients were sufficient, one acre could be used as ten.

In the pre-war era of this world, there seemed to be similar technology, which maximized space utilization and developed an automated system for sowing, cultivation, ripening, harvesting, transportation, and packaging in "skyscrapers." These skyscrapers could produce more than ten thousand kilograms per acre.

They were called CNC planting towers, the ultimate form of industrialized planting technology.

Very cyberpunk.

Brown Farm's energy resources were definitely not that luxurious, but since they could use some electricity to exchange for food, it seemed that power resources were not in short supply.

Moreover, they had been farming for at least a century, so they must have inherited some of the technology and adapted it to the wasteland environment.

At this moment, Chu Guang had a sudden idea.

"Could it be... they are growing some kind of energy crop?"

Brown Farm did not just grow green wheat. He had heard that this crop matured quickly, and after harvesting, they could plant another round of yam, beans, vegetables, or other crops.

Perhaps the latter required more nutrients?

By the late 20th century, people were already using economic crops, by-products, or specially cultivated crops to produce ethanol and biodiesel. As this technology matured, these crops were sometimes classified as "energy crops" based on their use.

If we make a reasonable guess, the pre-war world, which had mastered controlled fusion technology, might have even more advanced similar technologies.

However, in an era where fusion technology had made significant breakthroughs, the actual use of these energy crops was probably not to replace fossil fuels.

But as industrial raw materials.

"Brown Farm itself lacks industrial capabilities. The economic (energy) crops they produce are partly used as fuel and partly sold to merchants from Boulder City as raw materials for the city's factories."

"Their products are suspected to be some kind of rubber, crude oil-like substances, or other hydrocarbons."

"And this crop must consume a significant amount of nutrients!"

Chu Guang wrote these words in his notebook.

The gains from this transaction were greater than he had imagined.

Not only the grains, tools, and the "order" for three tons of bird droppings stone for next spring, but also the intelligence indirectly collected through the transaction.

Especially this intelligence, which he could never have gathered when he was a scavenger.

He could publish it on the official website for players to reference when he returned.

While Chu Guang was analyzing this intelligence, the players beside him were whispering.

"1 kilogram of bird droppings stone for 10 kilograms of food? I didn't see wrong, did I?"

"You saw wrong, it's 12 kilograms."

"I don't understand, is this green wheat too cheap, or are the stones we picked up by the lake too valuable?"

"Maybe both? Maybe neither... Wait, how much did we pay for the food we bought from the warehouse?"

"1 kilogram of green wheat for 1 silver coin. I know what you're thinking, right? Collecting 1 kilogram of bird droppings stone and bringing it back to the warehouse can only get you 2 copper coins, right?"

"Exactly! Is that reasonable?"

"Don't worry, even though the farming system isn't open yet, I bet the NPC will buy green wheat for no more than 1 copper coin per kilogram. Doesn't that make sense?"

"Ha, it's like the Yellow River... what a joke! They sell it to us for 1 silver coin per kilogram!"

"Calm down, which game isn't like this? Besides, if we get serious, real-world grain prices also fluctuate. We can sell some to players, and if we can't sell them, we can sell the rest to the NPC's granary."

At this point, the player with the ID "Canyon Escaped Mole" sighed, looking rather regretful.

"If only the trading system were open, 1 kilogram of bird droppings stone could be exchanged for 12 kilograms of grain at Brown Farm. Even if we sold it to the NPC, it would be more than 2 copper coins! 12 kilograms, at least 1 silver coin, right? This game is really mind-blowing."

Chu Guang didn't look up or respond, but he glanced at the player and chuckled inwardly.

The logic is correct.

But the perspective is too narrow.

If you take the bird droppings stone to Brown Farm to exchange for food, and then take the food to Boulder City to exchange for guns, do you think 100 kilograms of bird droppings could get you five or six guns?

Don't worry.

When spring comes next year, your great manager will do this trade for you. The profits will be the base's foreign exchange reserve, and you will get a share.

What?

You want to use Boulder City's currency for your reward?

What, do you want to buy a house and a wife in Boulder City?

Actually, Chu Guang wasn't intentionally "exploiting" his players. Compared to the farm owners of Brown Farm and the old leeches on Bet Street, he wasn't really exploiting them.

In Chu Guang's blueprint, the latest currency issued by Shelter 404 would replace the tokens issued by Boulder City and become the hardest currency in the entire Spring City and its surrounding areas by the fifth generation at the latest.

Suffering a bit now is for everyone's future happiness.

"Manager, there seems to be someone ahead."

"?"

Again?

Chu Guang put his notebook back in his pocket and reflexively reached for the hammer on his back. But when he touched the handle, he realized that the "people" were only two.

He saw the muscular man who had greeted him at the door earlier, now pointing a hunting rifle at the slave he had brought out.

The slave was kneeling on the ground, hands on his head, trembling in fear.

The group stopped.

Chu Guang looked at the muscular man, who was also staring at him blankly.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No."

Chu Guang glanced at the poor man being held at gunpoint, then looked back at the muscular man, asking with a strange expression.

"What is this?"

The muscular man didn't want to explain, as it was a private matter, but seeing that this group was not easy to provoke, he cautiously said,

"...He is the master's slave, old and suffering from arthritis, unable to work. Yesterday, he broke a plate. The master asked me to take him outside and deal with him."

After hearing the muscular man's words, Chu Guang remembered that Brown Farm seemed to dispose of a few slaves every winter who couldn't do heavy work and no one wanted to buy. They would buy new ones from slave traders the following year.

As for where these slaves came from?

Who knows.

Some were sold by creditors due to debt, some were captured by raiders and lost their freedom, and some were simply cloned products or the result of a forgotten shelter facility suddenly being unsealed.

Chu Guang had even heard of scavengers who, unable to survive, sold themselves or their relatives.

In this wasteland, an old slave nearing the end of his life was worth less than a two-headed ox that could carry goods.

At least the ox had more meat.

"Please, please let me live."

The muscular man glanced impatiently at the man kneeling on the ground.

"Even if I let you go, where would you go? Just give you a quick death, don't make it hard for me."

"Please, please..."

The slave couldn't say anything else.

"Wait a moment."

Chu Guang stepped forward and looked at the old man kneeling on the ground.

"How old are you?"

"51..."

Indeed, he was quite old.

For a slave, he was already of advanced age.

But from another perspective, this also meant experience.

Chu Guang continued to ask.

"What can you do?"

Seeing a glimmer of hope, the old man turned around, trembling, and reached out to grab the lifeline.

The muscular man quickly kicked him away and scolded him.

"Don't touch the master's guest with your dirty hands, do you want to be hanged?"

He could tell that this group had business dealings with the master.

Although the old slave was kicked, he didn't care. He got up, ignoring the muscular man, and looked up at Chu Guang with his wrinkled face.

"I can farm, count, do carpentry, carry things... I can do any work. Please, sir, give me a chance to live."

"You can count?" The muscular man sneered. "Counting a few potatoes is called counting? Sir, don't listen to him. At his age, he can't work. Two teams of slave traders came this month, and none of them were interested in him."

Chu Guang took a white token from his pocket and flicked it to the muscular man's hand.

"Is this enough?"

The muscular man's face lit up, and he nodded quickly.

"Enough, enough."

Even a small token is better than nothing, and this slave wasn't his.

After pocketing the token, the muscular man raised his hunting rifle and fired a shot into the air, then picked up the shell and bowed to Chu Guang, happily carrying the gun back to report.

The slave was still trembling on the ground, clearly terrified by the gunshot, looking like he had lost his soul.

Chu Guang ordered a player to help him up and bring him to his side, then said in a commanding tone,

"I bought your life, now you work for me."

The slave finally came to his senses.

He wanted to kneel, but Chu Guang stopped him with a raised hand.

"We don't kneel here. Place your right fist on your left chest to show loyalty. If I find you betraying or being disloyal, don't make me do it, dig it out yourself and feed it to the dogs."

Chu Guang was just scaring him. If there were any traitors, he would throw them into the active substance extractor, no need for such a fuss.

Although Chu Guang was a civilized person,

He had lived and observed here for some time and knew that some problems couldn't be solved with a civilized mindset.

The natives and players were fundamentally different beings.

For the natives, you had to manage them with native methods.

This was beneficial for both sides.

"Yes, sir," the old man bowed his head, looking much more at ease, and placed his right fist on his chest. "I offer my loyalty... My name is Luca, no, I have no name, please give me a name."

"Let's call you Luca."

Chu Guang didn't want to waste time and waved to the players.

"Let's continue."

"We need to get back before noon."

...

This trading trip was highly rewarding.

300 kilograms of bird droppings stone exchanged for 3,600 kilograms of green wheat and yam, 100 kilograms of smoked meat for 500 kilograms of green wheat and 5 tools.

Although Chu Guang wanted to argue that deer meat and hyena meat were different, the former being rarer as deer herds didn't always migrate, the other party said that if so, they could take hyena meat. Since it didn't matter to them as long as it wasn't human, rat, or fish meat, Chu Guang had to give in.

However, Liu Zhengyue, considering their relationship, made a small concession, allowing him to choose 5 tools or 1 pound of tobacco as a gift.

Chu Guang, of course, chose the tools, picking larger items like pipe wrenches and fire axes. Even if they weren't used, they could be smelted for steel or copper when brought back.

In addition, 25 kilograms of smoked fish exchanged for about 150 kilograms of scrap metal.

Unlike the common aluminum and steel alloys found everywhere, these metals were good quality, containing copper and zinc.

Liu Zhengyue was initially reluctant to sell, but thinking that the merchants wouldn't come for a few months and the metals were useless on the farm, he agreed after consulting the master.

The midday sun shone overhead, and the trees cast dappled shadows on the road.

Except for the strength-type player pulling the cart, the other players were scattered around the cart.

When they saw approaching mutated cockroaches, they would shout and rush over to beat them, more excited than the mutants themselves.

If the mutants could think, they would probably be confused now.

Who is the prey?

The only thing Chu Guang needed to do was to stop their hoarding habit, wanting to put any strange things they found in their pockets.

Although mutated cockroaches' stomachs occasionally contained undigested small items, and with great luck, tokens or bullets, the probability was extremely low.

Most of the time, they found cockroach eggs.

Old Luca watched, trembling, probably scared by their actions.

He had never seen such strange people and couldn't understand what they were thinking.

But Luca knew that as a servant, he didn't need to think about these things. The less he knew, the longer he lived, so he remained silent, almost invisible.

Feeling happy and wanting to sing.

Leading the cart back to the outpost base, Chu Guang saw the Yu brothers, carrying their prey, gesturing urgently to the players at the south gate.

Chu Guang's eyes lit up, and he called out from a distance.

Hearing the familiar voice, the Yu brothers turned around, waving with joy.

"Brother Chu!"